1 Chapter One

Her life hadn't ever been easy. Her parents had gotten a divorce when she was only four years old. Her mom had been the one to leave her father, for reasons neither her nor her siblings understood until they were far older. But she never thought it would be as bad as it actually was. She'd never really had to deal with it until she was sixteen and forced to move in with him. Her mother had taken all of them far, far away from him. Which meant they had moved far away from the rest of their family.

For a normal family, that would've been just fine. But they were far from a normal family. Alison Moore wasn't a normal girl with divorced parents. She was a part of something far greater. She was related to the first Elemental; Jessaminne. Elementals were witches who had the ability to transform into wolves. Jessaminne had been born, during the 15th century, to the Alpha of a very prominent werewolf pact, and a witch from a prominent cult. From there the Elementals were born, and Alison just so happened to be a direct descendant to Jessaminne Moore.

It was because of this, that Alison had moved back home to Wolf, Colorado. Her aunt was stepping down from being Alpha, she'd reached the age where she was to become an Elder, so it was Alison's turn to step up. Her aunt didn't have any children of her own, she wasn't even supposed to be the Alpha. The only reason she'd even become Alpha had been because Aliyah had decided she didn't want to be the next one. She'd decided, after her mother's untimely death, that she no longer cared to become Alpha, despite it being her birthright since she was born first.

Now Alison was standing in her mother's footsteps, only this time she was going to become Alpha. If she didn't, then her twin sister would be stuck in the position and Alison didn't want that for her. She also didn't think that her sister would be ready for that. So now she was back living with her father, away from her mother and two siblings. She hadn't seen her mother in the two years since moving out. She hadn't talked to her siblings in the same amount of time. They were furious at her for not staying. They didn't understand the responsibilities that she had.

Skylar was way too immature and only ever wanted to party and flirt with boys to understand what responsibility was. And Tristan, well he just didn't fully understand what it meant to be an Elemental. He was still trying to figure out how to control all of the powers that came with it. Each Elemental had different powers. Not all of the pack was the same. Not even in families. Aliyah, her mother, was an Air Elemental. The rarest of the four elements. There were only two other members of the pack that had that element.

Skylar was an Ice Elemental. It was one of the common ones just like Fire. Which is what her little brother was. Earth was the last one and definitely between being common and rare. Each of them came with their own powers, as well as their own signature looks. That's one of the ways you could tell them all apart. That and the personalities were all almost the same. Like all Fire, Elementals had very short fuses. They had a very hard time controlling their anger because they quite literally had a fire within them. Ice Elementals also had a cold side for the same reason.

Earth was very different, they had a very calming personality. They were all very mellow and nothing really bothered them. Which only left the Wind Elementals. They were a little all over the place. Not that they're mind was racing with different thoughts, they just were like a mix of the other three Elementals. But that was just their personalities. They each had their own unique looks too.

Earth Elementals all had dark brown hair with hazel eyes.

Wind Elementals, for some reason, had curly black hair and light grey eyes.

Fire Elementals all had red hair, green eyes, and freckles.

Ice Elementals had ice-blonde hair and crystal blue eyes.

However, Alison had light brown hair and very pale green eyes. She also didn't just control one Element, she controlled all four. It was something that none of the other Alpha's had ever been able to do. Actually, none of the other Elementals had been able to do that. It was because of this that the head Elder, Meri, had sought her out and brought her home. Elders were the oldest members of the pack, and because of that, they were in charge for the most part. The Alpha's were basically treated like royalty and they were in charge of most everything else. But the Elders decided on the rules and pretty much anything else important. Though Alpha's had the last say in things.

Alison wasn't the most excited about having to deal with the Elders, because they were all pretty strict and set in their ways, but she'd have to figure out how to make it work because it was her responsibility to keep the entire pack in check. Besides, it's not like she was doing it alone, she had her childhood best friend to help her if she needed it. Kallum Moon was her confidant and definitely her oldest friend. They'd known each other since they were little, their mothers had been friends during their time in school, and so the two were really close.

It was because of this that it was so easy for her to settle in so quickly. The night of her Alpha Ceremony, he'd been there to help her through and remind her that it was for the greater good of the pack that she continues with it. The whole thing was scary and she'd heard that it could be a little painful, but Kallum had helped her relax. She'd done the ceremony and afterward had appointed her Beta, Omega, and then the person who would be her second Alpha just until she'd imprinted on someone and married them. She'd appointed Kallum as the second Alpha. He'd then gone and appointed who he wanted as his Beta and Omega.

The job of the Beta's was to enforce the rules and report to the Alphas. They were also in charge of assigning jobs for the other pack members. The Omega was in charge of leading the patrols. Altogether, they worked as a team to ensure the safety of the pack as a whole. She needed another Alpha because they helped with the big decisions that needed to be made. The Elders gave them decisions and together they had to decide on it.

The first thing Alison and Kallum had to decide was if it was best to start building up a community for the pack to live in or if they should keep it how it was. Right now all of the young members of the pack attended local schools and the families all lived in different neighborhoods. It was actually really difficult when they held their meetings at the ceremony rocks. Together they'd decided it would be best, despite the fact it would be really expensive. But the good news was that they had enough funds for it. Jessaminne had ensured that the future packs wouldn't run out of funds for anything they might need. There was quite a bit of it, due to her having been from two prominent families.

Meri had set everything up and the two Alpha's were just in charge of designing each of the houses and choosing where everything would go and what all they had. So far they were going to have a small housing community and once it was finished they were going to go from there. They worked really well as a team and that's one of the reasons she'd chosen him to be her second Alpha. Because Alison was Alpha, her house was a top priority and would be getting built first. Followed by the rest of the pack houses; they were both in charge of designing all of them. At least just the basic parts, they weren't putting furniture in any of them. That was a job for the people who would be moving into them.

Alison was just excited to be moving out of her father's house. He was the most abusive person she'd ever met. She didn't understand how one person was capable of being so cruel and so hateful towards their own child. It was so bad that she now spent the vast majority of her time over at Kallum's. She pretty much lived there because things had gotten so bad at her father's. The whole house was in a constant state of being messy and she was the one who was supposed to clean it. She wasn't allowed to eat until all her chores were done and to top it all off, her father could get very violent.

He didn't approve of the fact that she was an Elemental. Or a freak as he put it. He was completely human. Aliyah had imprinted on him when they'd met in high school and so from there they'd gotten married and had Skylar and Alison first. Followed by Tristan a year later. Then, four years after getting married, they divorced. And not Alison understood why. He wasn't the easiest to live with and definitely didn't care about any of his family members.

Right now Alison was sitting out by the lake, swinging her legs over the ledge of the dock. Her light brown hair was pulled up in a messy bun on the top of her head as she thought through some things. School was about to start in a week and so she would have to deal with that on top of her Alpha work. It was a good thing she would be going into her final year of high school. Then she could just focus on only her Alpha work. She let out a huff of breath and closed her eyes while she thought.

From beside her, she felt someone sit down. She didn't need to look to know who it was. There was only one person who knew how to get to this side of the lake beside herself. "Hey Kal," she mumbled quietly. He chuckled lightly from next to her and looked out at the lake. "Hey Ali, Andreia told me to find you. Apparently, two people need to see you," he replied softly. Alison held in a groan and stood up on the dock.

"Did she say who was waiting for us?" she asked, looking back at her best friend. Andreia was her Beta and so that meant she was in charge of keeping the rest of the pack in check and reporting things back to Alison. She was also an Earth Elemental so she was really calm. That was one of the reasons that Alison had chosen her to be Beta. Kallum hurried over towards her so they were walking side by side. "She didn't say," he answered. She nodded and continued on the path up towards the ceremony rocks, where they often met up.

They rounded a corner and headed through the trees. Alison knew the path to the ceremony rocks like the back of her hand. Every root in the ground, every hole in the earth, and every rock in the path. She'd memorized the entire path in the first month after moving back home. They continued on the path until they were standing in the center of the ceremony rocks. Andreia and Roze were both waiting for them when they arrived. Roze was Alison's Omega, she was also an Earth sign.

"Where are the two people waiting for me?" Alison asked as she came to a complete stop. Neither of them got to answer because at that exact moment, two people stepped into Alison's line of view. Two very familiar people. Alison stood there in silence, not knowing what to say. Skylar's blonde hair was flowing down her back and pushed out of her face. She was wearing a blue tank-top that stopped just below her breasts and high-waisted blue jeans. Her shoes were black, leather, high heel boots that really brought the whole outfit together. Her light blue eyes held nothing but anger at the sight of her twin sister.

She looked next to her sister and saw her little brother, Tristan. His red hair was cut short and he was wearing a dark grey t-shirt with a pair of dark jeans and some sneakers. His green eyes also held anger at the sight of her. She swallowed the lump in her throat and quickly turned around to face Kallum. "Um," she cleared her throat before she continued. "Give us a second in privacy, I'll be okay." He nodded and motioned for the others to follow him. Alison waited for them to leave before she faced her siblings again.

"So, how's your life been?" Skylar basically bit out.

Alison sighed and looked down at her feet before answering. "It sucks, and I really don't expect either of you to understand why I left. Why are you two here?"

"Mom's dead," Tristan answered bitterly.

Alison snapped her head up to look at her brother, then over at her sister. They both held pained looks in their eyes. She knew they weren't lying. "H-how?" she finally managed to get out.

"Car wreck, two months ago," Skylar was the one to answer, her voice had grown softer.

Alison was out of words to say. She didn't know how she was supposed to respond to that. She didn't know how she was supposed to feel about that. She loved her mother, but they had been estranged for almost three years now. It was just so sudden that she hadn't been expecting it. So she stood there, probably looking like an absolute idiot in front of her two siblings who were pissed to even be near her at that moment. That's when the realization hit her: they were going to have to move in with her and their father. That wasn't going to go well, he hated having Alison there.

Alison didn't say anything, instead, she spun on her heels and hurried after Kallum and the others. She came through the thicket of trees and almost collided with him. Luckily he caught her just in time and set her up straight. "Ali? What's wrong?" he asked concern written clear across his face as he scanned her facial expressions. She had grief and fear both glistening in her eyes. Alison looked back at him, unable to use her words. She couldn't seem to form any to tell him the information she'd just found out. She was still very much in shock at the sudden news that now she was all alone. Kallum was quick to pick up on her emotions.

"Okay, Ali, breathe. Just breathe," he soothed, placing calming hands onto her shoulders. She nodded and took deep breaths. In through the nose, out through the mouth, trying to calm herself down. If anything, she'd just have to communicate with him through telepathy. All Elementals could communicate with each other that way. It was mostly used for the patrols if they got too far from each other, or for when one of the pack members was in danger and needed to call for help. Right now though, it looked like it was her only option if she was going to tell him what had her so troubled.

She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat and focused her mind. 'K...Kal?' He nodded in response and looked her over again. "I'm right here Ali," he soothed out loud. She nodded and continued to focus. 'My...my mom's dead. She's gone and so Skylar and Tristan are going to have to move it.' Kallum swallowed thickly and looked back at Andreia and Roze. "Andreia I need you to report to the Elders, tell them to meet us at my parent's house. Roze go get Alison's siblings from the clearing and meet us there," he instantly instructed. Both girls wasted no time in doing as they were told, they both hurried off to do their tasks.

Kallum scooped Alison into his arms and started making his way home. She clutched onto his shoulders as tears instantly started streaming down her face. It felt like her heart was breaking into a million pieces. Memories of her mom flashed through her mind, adding salt to the very open wound. Guilt was the first thing that she felt, followed quickly by an empty numbness. She felt like she was drowning in her grief, and that only made breathing harder for her. By the time they arrived at Kallum's house, she was struggling to breathe.

He quickly sat her on her feet and pushed strands of her messy hair from her face. Tears had stained her cheeks, which were now red and puffy. She was gasping for air with each sob that racked through her body. The front door of the house swung open to reveal Clarissa Moon. Kallum's mother. Her graying blonde hair was pulled back into a tight bun, her aged, blue, eyes landed on Alison instantly. She stepped out of the house and gently moved her son out of the way so that she was facing the young girl.

"What happened?" she asked, looking back at her son.

Kallum looked down while he answered. "Aliyah's dead."

Clarissa held in her own grief and quickly ushered the girl into the house. They walked down the small hallway until they came to Kallum's bedroom. Alison instantly curled up onto the bed and pulled a pillow to her chest. Bomb, Kallum's German Shepherd, nudged his way into the room and jumped up onto the bed beside Alison. She wrapped her arms around his pure, white, fur and buried her head into his shoulder. He nudged his head against hers before resting it on top of her head. Kallum stood in the corner and watched his best friend, unsure of what to do to help her through her grief.

There was a gentle tap at the front door that took Clarissa out of the room. It wasn't too much later that she returned with Roze right behind her. "Andreia said that she and Meri are on their way here now. Skylar and Tristan are waiting in the living room for your next orders, Kallum," Roze announced. He nodded but didn't remove his eyes away from Alison. She was never like this, in all the years he'd known her. She rarely cried and she'd been through a lot of stuff that would break any other person. Kallum, of course, knew how close Aliyah and Alison had once been.

It had been hard on the young girl when she moved away and dropped contact altogether with her mother. But she hadn't cried then. He guessed she hadn't needed to, because at the back of her mind she knew her mother would always be there if she ever wanted to go back. But now...she didn't get that option anymore. He closed his eyes and turned his head down to the ground. He couldn't feel what she was feeling, but he'd give anything to take all her pain for himself so that she didn't have to suffer through it alone. She was his best friend, he never wanted to see her hurt.

"Kallum," Andreia's voice broke him from his thoughts and brought him back to reality. He looked over at her and saw Meri right beside her. Meri was head Elder, as well as Alison's great-aunt. She was Alison's grandmother's twin sister. She hadn't been Alpha herself, which is why she was now head Elder. That's just how it went. Whichever twin wasn't Alpha, she became the head Elder when she reached the correct age. Once Meri died, Aliyah's twin sister would take over.

"Meri, thank you for coming," he said, stepping off of the wall and walking over towards her. She nodded and looked away from her niece and over at him.

"What happened? Andreia just said it was important," she asked.

Alison turned over, making Bomb jump to the ground and lay down at her feet. She was now filled with regret. She always thought there would be more time, but in the end, there just hadn't been. "My mother is dead. I need to know how much longer until the Alpha house is built," she announced, jumping straight into action. She had to suppress her emotions. She had a pack to run, she couldn't afford for her emotions to get in the way right now.

Meri nodded and looked back at the girl. "Construction has only just begun, it will be a while until it's ready for you to move in. However, given the news, you need to decide how to move forward with her funeral. Will it be a traditional ceremony or would you like to do something small considering she wasn't an active member of the pack at the time of her death?" Meri explained gently.

"Nothing...she wasn't an active pack member, she abandoned the pack and gave her Alpha duties over to her sister. Besides she's been dead two months, my guess is there was already a funeral. I need a push through on the house, Skylar and Tristan are back and we cannot afford for them to live at my current residency due to our father's...temper," she announced.

Meri nodded before turning and leaving. Alison watched her leave before letting out the breath she'd been holding. "Are you okay?" Kallum asked gently, reaching towards her.

"I have to be. I can't afford to grieve right now, I'm a new Alpha and the pack needs to see that I can rule with a clear head. There can't be tyranny right now. That's why I decided not to do the traditional ceremony because she wasn't a part of the pack anymore. I can't let my emotions get the best of me anymore Kal," she answered, before leaving the room. Bomb was right behind her every step of the way.

When she entered the living room, Skylar was the first one to her feet. She wasted no time in running up towards her sister and holding her tightly. They stood there like that, holding each other close. They had both lost their mother. They knew what the other was going through at that moment. Tristan was the one who broke them apart from each other. Alison backed up and looked them over. Tristan still looked angry at her, but Skylar had clearly gotten over it all. She'd never really been able to stay mad at Alison, no matter what had happened between the two of them.

"Alright, well it's time to get home. If I'm not back before curfew then....doesn't matter let's just go," she announced, already leaving the house. No one argued, they all let her leave. Skylar and Tristan were quick to follow behind her. They walked through the forest quietly. None of them knew what to say to each other. There were three years of catching up to be done, but instead, they walked in an awkward silence that was heavy with their collective grief.

When they finally reached the house, Alison stopped in her tracks. It was a very small place. It was only two bedrooms and one bath, that only worked half of the time. The kitchen had a gas-lit stovetop and a very small fridge that could only really hold a handful of things at a time. Alison's bedroom was the first room to the right when you walked inside. The bathroom was also right next to it. Unfortunately, she didn't have a bedroom door and there was a break in the window from a brick that had gotten thrown through it. She had no privacy at all. From the outside, the house looked abandoned.

She turned to face her siblings and sighed slowly before saying anything. "Be quiet when you enter and maybe he won't notice. Trust me, you don't want him to notice," she whispered. They both nodded slowly, not really understanding the information they were being given. Alison, quietly, led the way into the house. The door creaked open slightly as they stepped inside. The air smelt heavily of smoke. He'd had his poker friends over again while she'd been away. They all creeped her out and she'd learned to wear jeans and a jacket when they came over. Otherwise, she'd get stared at.

She motioned for them to follow her as she entered her bedroom. They were both right behind her. Skylar looked around in disgust at her new surroundings while Tristan tried to make himself comfortable. Alison fell on her sleeping bag and pulled her knees up to her chest. Her bedroom was quite empty. There wasn't any furniture, except for the dresser that she'd built out of leftover wood from building Kallum's treehouse last summer.

Her father hadn't spent the time to get her a bed or anything else that she would need to survive, she relied solely on herself. The light grey paint had started to chip off of the walls and her once white carpet was now stained a gross yellow. She didn't want to know what had stained it. There was a hole in the wall over by the door that her father had put there a month after she'd moved in. It had only happened because Alison had forgotten to do the laundry that day. She still remembered the memory, though it was buried in the back of her mind.

Skylar dropping her backpack on the ground was what tore Alison from her thoughts. She snapped her head over towards her sister and shook her head quickly. "Skylar, quiet. Don't put any attention on yourself," she whispered. She'd managed to find her own way of living in this hell hole around month six of being there. Every week he had his poker friends over, so she was normally out when that happened. She'd also learned that the less noise you make, the less he bothered her. It was just how her life was now and she'd learned to deal with it.

Skylar on the other hand hadn't had to deal with it yet. "Why do we have to be quiet? He's our father, he should know what happened with mom," she retorted.

"No, no he can't. He can't know either of you are here," Alison insisted.

"How are we gonna get away with that one? We have to go to school. We have to eat," Tristan asked angrily.

Alison sighed and pressed the palms of her head against her temple. "I'll register you both for school and I usually eat at either Kallum's or Meri's," she answered.

"What aren't you telling us?" Skylar inquired as she placed both hands on her hips and looked down at her sister.

"Just...do as I say and maybe you'll survive until my house is finished," she answered quietly.

Skylar and Tristan both exchanged confused looks with each other. They were used to a parent who loved and cared for them. They were both used to having nothing but love in the household. They hadn't had to really live through what Alison had grown used to. Hiding bruises was normal for her now. It was something she had to learn how to do. She'd also had to learn how to keep out of her father's way and rely on no one other than herself. It hadn't been easy, but she'd managed just fine. Now all she had to do was get her siblings to understand that too. "Guys, you just have to trust me, please. I know I left and cut off communications but if you don't do as I say...it'll be a very long few months for all of us," she added.

Skylar sighed and walked over towards her carefully. Alison watched as she sat down and leaned her head against the wall. "Alright, we'll do as you say, but you have a lot of explaining to do," she mumbled. Alison smiled softly and leaned her head against Skylar's. It was just like old times. "I'll explain later, for now, you should get some rest. We have a long day tomorrow," she replied softly. Both her siblings nodded in response to her words. Alison didn't know how to feel. Too much had been dropped on her in just a short hour. But she couldn't think about that right now. It was an issue for tomorrow. For now, she needed to sleep.